I shake my head and whisper back to him, "The 11th house will follow me to the ends of the earth to extinguish my family's line after what my father did.  If I lead you, I just doom you all."

My beta, Fred, struggles to control his wolf and grips my arm, "We're even more doomed without you."

I only have one way to truly save my people and that's to replace the murdered queen.  I'm of the blood, as the last touched I can challenge the rites at any time to claim her throne.  This was always my privilege, instilled in me since birth.  Though I had no desire to take on her mantle, she'd been a kind enough monarch.  I had no choice now.  If I became queen my pack would replace the 11th as the royal pack and they'd become untouchable by the other houses.  It was a gamble, one that would likely kill me, but it was the only play that I had left.

And so, dear reader, this is the story of how I signed up for my own doom.  How I became the willing participant in the rite of queens and lost the one true love of my life.

The castle was alive with a flurry of activity, ancient stone walls buzzing with anticipation, the air thick with the mingling sounds of hurried footsteps, clinking silverware, and the soft murmur of voices weaving through the halls. Every corridor seemed to pulse with energy, a web of movement and purpose, as servants, guards, and nobles alike moved swiftly, each with a task in hand, each driven by the same urgent call --the tournament.


Chapter 10 - The Tournament